Halo Purely For Pets Blog » Cat Food

TIGGEE, BABY GIRL & SHERWOOD KITTY TEST, AND HALO WINS

Belkis Cardona-Rivera — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:00:37 +0000

One of our Facebook fans, Sandra King Abernathy from Auburn, California, bought Halo for her three cats and here’s what she had to say:

“I finally found Halo pet food for my cats, and all three of them LOVE it!!! I put two bowls down. One bowl of the old cat food they loved, and a bowl of the Halo. And they all chose the HALO!! It makes me happy too, knowing they are eating cat food that is good for them without all the garbage!!”

The orange cat is a male named “Tiggee”. The female is the white cat with black named “Baby Girl”. Sandra raised Tiggee and Baby Girl since they were only 5 days old. Their mother was abandoned, and she gave birth to these kittens. She was almost starving and so she didn’t have milk.

Sandra began to feed her, and took the kittens to the vet. Then she bottle fed Tiggee and Baby Girl every 3 hours, night and day, and burped them, etc. They just turned 4 on July 16th this year. They are still referred to as “The Babies.”

The gray cat is “Sherwood”. Sandra only had him a month. The man who lived in the apartment next door to her was put in a home and they abandoned Sherwood. So she took him in to be with her other cats.

“We love our Cats! And they love Halo! Thank you for such a quality product,” continues Sandra.

Thank you Sandra for sharing your story!

ASK-THE-VET: CAT KIDNEY DISEASE

Dr. Donna Spector — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 14:00:48 +0000

Question: Hello, not sure if anyone reads these, but I thought I would give it a try. My 16 year old cat, Max, is developing early kidney disease. I was wondering if you could tell me what would be your most appropriate formula of canned food for his condition. Thank you very much for your time.

Answer: Thanks for writing in. I want to be clear that Halo does not make medical or prescription diets and you should ask your veterinarian about our diets as every cat with kidney disease is slightly different in their dietary requirements or restrictions. Cats with kidney disease often benefit from additional water for hydration and lower protein levels to decrease the work-load of the kidneys.

Our canned formulations are very high in moisture and can be quite good at maintaining adequate hydration. Our lowest protein cat foods are the canned lamb formula followed by the canned turkey formula and can be used successfully in some cats with kidney problems.

Hope that helps.
Dr. Donna Spector

Answers provided to pet owners by Dr. Donna Spector should be considered information and not specific advice. Answers are to be used for general information purposes only and not as a substitute for in-person evaluation or specific professional advice from your veterinarian. Communications on this site are very limited and should never be used in possible cases of emergency. Halo, Purely for Pets will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on any information or content contained in a blog or article post.

ASK-THE-VET: MY CAT PREFERS DOG FOOD

Dr. Donna Spector — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 14:00:07 +0000

Question: What do you recommend if our cat does not want to eat his own food? I tried to change his flavor (using the blue bag now) but he still seems to like the dogs food better?

Answer: Although your cat getting a nibble of Halo dog food from time to time isn’t bad (our dog foods are supplemented with taurine), I definitely don’t recommend routinely feeding them food formulated for dogs.

Cats (as strict carnivores) require higher levels of protein and fat than dogs and Halo foods are designed accordingly. Halo dog food just doesn’t have the right balance for cats to reach their optimal health level.

You can try adding our fatty acid supplement (Dream Coat) or some of the Halo Dinner Party protein sprinkle on top of his food to spark his interest. Also adding a small amount of warmed canned food on top of the dry can entice even the pickiest eater.

Good Luck.
Dr. Donna Spector

ASK-THE-VET: A FINICKY CAT

Dr. Donna Spector — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:00:12 +0000

Question: I have a finicky cat that doesn’t want to eat any nutritional canned food, other than the meat byproduct stuff. Can you recommend one you think she might eat?

Answer: I am assuming you have tried the Halo Spot’s Stew for cats….some cats find it a bit too brothy and chunky. I have had success with those picky kitties by putting it briefly in a blender to reduce the chunk size. You can also try heating up the food a bit…some cats really love the aroma that the fresh wholesome ingredients give off.

You can also sprinkle Halo’s protein powder (called Dinner Party) on top to make it more appetizing! Another diet you might try is the Evo 95% canned cat food line. Many of my pickier cat friends like that one.

Hope that helps. Take care.
Dr. Donna Spector

DELIGHTED TO SEE THAT IT HAD NO BY-PRODUCTS, NO RENDERED MEATS, NO MEAT MEALS

Halo — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:00:21 +0000

Dave Gray comments to “Halo Spot’s Stew Natural Dry Cat Food, Indoor Cat, Wild Salmon Recipe, 3-Pound Bag” on Horsemusic weblog:

When Pet Promise, a safe and healthy pet food, went out of business, I was desperately looking for another healthy food that had no by-products, rendered fats, meat meals, or outsourced ingredients. (You might want to check out what these types of ingredients can include – if your stomach can take it – but avoid commercial manufacturers’ “spins” on this). Good books to get in this regard are “Foods Pets Die For” and “Protect Your Pet”:

Food Pets Die For: Shocking Facts About Pet Food

Protect Your Pet: More Shocking Facts

My cats were completely unaffected by the melamine contamination tragedy of 2007 – which killed many pets, especially cats – because their Pet Promise food was one of the few brands in America that didn’t use outsourced ingredients (and was never on the recall list – unlike some of the very expensive “premium brands”). I felt so lucky that I had already switched to Pet Promise, a petfood company that bought ingredients only from North American farmers using sustainable agriculture and free-range livestock.

I finally discovered Halo’s products, and was encouraged by the fact that Ellen DeGeneres, a devout animal lover herself, not only endorses it but also has become part-owner of the company. Their website also included a specific message written to us former Pet Promise users. So I went to my health-food store and bought some.

I was delighted to see that it had no by-products, no rendered meats, no meat meals, and that the label stated that all its ingredients are “Made in the USA”, except the pea protein from Canada. Furthermore, the salmon in Halo is wild Alaskan, not farmed salmon (aka, pharmed salmon, full of antibiotics, etc.). Moreover, it is low in carbohydrates and even includes probiotics in the mix! Making it even more promising than Pet Promise!

But the ultimate test was whether my cats would eat it or not. Unlike my dachshunds, who would eat just about anything that hit the floor (they’re really low to the ground, you know), cats are notorious for their persnickety eating habits. BUT THEY LOVE IT!!! Can’t get enough! So I have to dole it out so they don’t overeat! And after five months, their health and energy seem to be great.

Oh, and hi, Ellen – and many thanks!

ASK-THE-VET: CAN DOGS EAT HALO CAT FOOD?

Dr. Donna Spector — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:00:22 +0000

Question: Can dogs eat Halo cat food?

Answer: I don’t recommend routinely feeding healthy dogs the cat formulation of Spot’s Stew. Halo cat formulas are designed with higher levels of protein and fat than what dogs require. This creates a food that is higher in calories and can lead to problems with obesity when fed to dogs. The vitamin/mineral balance is specific to cats as well. Dogs should stick with our canine formulas to reach optimal health.

Dr. Donna Spector

ASK-THE-VET: TRANSITION MY CATS TO HALO

Dr. Donna Spector — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:00:03 +0000

Question: I am a recent customer of Halo dry cat food. I have been attempting to transition my two cats over since early December, I first started them on the Sensitive Stomach formula and they did not take to that at all, I changed them to the Salmon and they were both constipated. I contacted Halo and was told that was a rich brand so I chose to change them to the Chicken formula which they have been on for a few days and appear to be drawn to the taste but I am still unsettled with their liter box habits. Their stools are very soft and the male doesn’t appear to be urinating as much as before. I love everything I have read about this food but am wondering if it is right for them. I hear differing opinions about how long to transition over and at this point we are at the 3 week mark, should we hang in there a bit longer to see if their tummies will settle down so they can be comfortable eating their meals again.

Answer: Sounds like you started the chicken near the end of December. I would recommend the chicken formula only for 3 weeks as some cats require a much longer transition period. Also make sure you are not feeding low quality treats or other things that may have synthetic additives, flavors and colorings. Treats filled with these ingredients can cause digestive disturbance and allergic-type reactions. You can try the Halo Liv-a-Littles or some of our other natural treats that cats love. If after three weeks, your cats are still having tummy troubles, ask your veterinarian about a high quality natural probiotic to get them on their way to feeling better.

Hope that helps.
Dr. Donna Spector

INGREDIENTS IN PET FOODS A MYSTERY TO MOST DOG AND CAT OWNERS

Diane Herbst — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:00:59 +0000

Do you REALLY know what you’re feeding your beloved dog or cat? Probably not, according to a study conducted by Harris Interactive.

The majority of pet owners don’t even read the label and have no idea what they are giving their pets, according to the study, brought to our attention by Generation Natural Pet, a social media community launched by PETCO (Halo is a founding Council Member).

Frighteningly, most pet foods — unlike Halo, which uses only real meat, fish and eggs — have chicken meal. Sounds tasty, right?

Well, dear reader, chicken meal is legally unfit for human consumption and may contain waste products from restaurants, supermarkets, meat processing facilities and packinghouses. It is not the lean muscle that WE eat, but the stuff humans are forbidden by law to consume: the remaining bones, organs, beaks and other products that are rendered (obtained by melting down the animal’s remains) in a processing plant when made into meal.

“Chicken meal sounds like something wholesome that could be served in any household,” says Halo’s veterinarian, Dr. Donna Spector. “But don’t be fooled. Meat meals — such as chicken meal — are unfit for human consumption. In my mind, that means unfit for our beloved pets.”

Yet ignorance is bliss: despite confessing no knowledge of the ingredients on a bag or can of food, the majority of the 1,305 pet owners surveyed say they treat their animals as a member of the family, and wouldn’t want to feed their pets food containing allergens and prefer to feed their pets only natural pet food.

Halo never uses chicken meal or other rendered meats. Halo uses real chicken that can be sold to humans and meets FDA human safety standards. And while we don’t advocate opening up a can of Spot’s Stewto share with your pooch, many of us have.

ASK-THE-VET: MANAGING DIABETIC CAT

Dr. Donna Spector — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:00:18 +0000

Question: Our Siamese has been on Vetsulin for about a year. He does have fluctuations in blood sugar which we were puzzled by as he eats the same amount, at the same time every day and has 2 shots of Vetsulin at the same time every day. Yet he has low sugars of 57 at 2 a.m. (husband is a night person) & day sugars varying from 120 to 250. It is probably the Vetsulin. Our vet told us that cats are very hard to regulate, so we attributed it to that. He is on the last bottle of Vetsulin & our vet is going to order a different insulin. This is really sad as we have had a hard time getting him kind of adjusted. Now we have to get him adjusted on a different insulin product which will mean more testing, which he hates. He doesn’t mind the shots, as he gets a treat or gets fed after it, but he hates the poking of his ears for the test. He gets treats after that too, and we hate doing this to him.

Answer: Managing diabetic cats can be challenging. One of the reasons their blood sugar varies so much from day to day and within a day is because many cats are still secreting some of their own insulin. There is no rhyme nor reason to when their body secretes it….it happens sporadically leading to some of these wide fluctuations despite a stable diet. One of the most important things you can do for your cat is to make sure he is eating all canned food–one with high protein and low carbohydrates. NO DRY FOOD! Following this diet plan can help cats lessen their needs for insulin or even revert back to a non-diabetic state.

Good luck.
Dr. Donna Spector

FORMER PET PROMISE USER CALLS HALO “BEST DRY FOOD I HAVE FOUND”

David Yaskulka — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 15:00:54 +0000

“Since Pet Promise went out of business, I’ve been looking for another readily available dry cat food like it,” begins dgrahame on Epinions.com. Calling Halo Spot’s Stew the “best food I have found,” the reviewer concludes, “Pet Promise was endorsed by Dr. Andrew Weil. Halo is not only endorsed by Ellen DeGeneres, known for her love of animals, but she has become part-owner of the company.”

It’s true! We especially appreciate that this reviewer did an in-depth look at the ingredients – the key to choosing the best products. Thanks, dgrahame!

Click here for the whole review.